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SINGAPORE (Kyodo) Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reaffirmed Wednesday they will work together to create a mechanism to verify North Korea's account of its nuclear activities, when they met ahead of informal six-party ministerial talks. Komura stressed the need to reach a consensus with their counterparts from China, North and South Korea and Russia on a "concrete and effective" protocol so the verification process can begin soon. Rice said verification is vital to ensure the North's denuclearization, a Foreign Ministry official said. The two ministers, both in Singapore for ASEAN-hosted dialogues, did not discuss details, including specific verification timelines, the official said. Pyongyang submitted a list of its nuclear programs last month and negotiators from the six... [read full story]
